LaGuardia’s “Lesson” Forum

The opening line of the novel begins with a logical contradiction: if the narrator is not there, how can s/he be there. This is the kind of thing that confuses me and makes me want to get to the bottom of the story. In a way, it is like a newly created mystery. (And how does the narrator know “all the time what the verdict would be[?]” (3). Is he supernatural or cynical?)

But I am reading this voluntarily. This blog is about what you, the LaGuardia students and faculty who have this new book, think about it.

Are you reading it in a class, or are you reading it because it was given to you free?

Please leave a comment below letting us know how you like (or dislike) this book.

About Lesson B4

This is a forum where LaGuardia Students, Faculty and Staff can discuss this year’s Common Reading Ernest J. Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying. This is a place where you can “shout-out” your response to the novel or any of the ideas that the text raises. There will be occasional “prompts” posted to spark discussion, however this should be seen as a place where any and all can raise any issue they want. Please participate by entering a “comment” below the post that interests you. You can explore previous individual blog posts below to the left or here.(If someone wants to suggest a prompt they can email me their request by clicking the “prompt” above or sending it to <sgregoire-at-lagcc.cuny.edu>.)